LACYf & mEnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius.

LAIMAfLithuanian, Latvian, Baltic MythologyFrom Latvian laime and Lithuanian laima, which mean "luck, fate". This was the name of the Latvian and Lithuanian goddess of fate, luck, pregnancy and childbirth. She was the sister of the goddesses Dēkla and Kārta, who were also associated with fate.

LAIUSmGreek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of Greek Λαιος (Laios), which is of unknown meaning. This was the name of a king of Thebes in Greek mythology, the husband of Jocasta. Due to a prophecy that he would be killed by his son, Laius left his infant Oedipus for dead. The boy survived but was ignorant of his true parentage. Years later he unwittingly killed Laius in a quarrel on the road.

LALLAfLiteratureDerived from Persian لاله (laleh) meaning "tulip". This was the name of the heroine of Thomas Moore's poem 'Lalla Rookh' (1817). In the poem, Lalla, the daughter of the emperor of Delhi, listens to a poet sing four tales.

LAMECHmBiblicalPossibly means "to make low" in Hebrew. This is the name of two characters in Genesis in the Old Testament, the first being a descendant of Cain, and the second being a descendant of Seth and the father of Noah.

LAMIA (2)fGreek MythologyPossibly from Greek λαιμος (laimos) "throat". In Greek mythology this is the name of a queen of Libya who was a mistress of Zeus. Hera, being jealous, kills Lamia's children, causing her to go mad and transform into a monster that hunts the children of others.

LAN (1)f & mChinese, VietnameseFrom Chinese 兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant" (which is usually only feminine) or 岚 (lán) meaning "mountain mist". Other Chinese characters can form this name as well. As a Vietnamese name, it is derived from Sino-Vietnamese 蘭 meaning "orchid".

LANCEmEnglishFrom the Germanic name Lanzo, originally a short form of names that began with the element landa meaning "land". During the Middle Ages it became associated with Old French lance "spear, lance". A famous bearer is American cyclist Lance Armstrong (1971-).

LANCELOTmArthurian RomanceMeaning unknown, possibly an Old French diminutive of Lanzo (see LANCE). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes.

LANDONmEnglishFrom a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "long hill" (effectively meaning "ridge"). Use of the name may have been inspired in part by the actor Michael Landon (1936-1991).

LARISAfRussian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Greek MythologyPossibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant "citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as Larissa, with a double s.

LARUNDAfRoman MythologyPossibly connected to Greek λαλεω (laleo) "to talk, to chatter", or the Latin term Lares referring to minor guardian gods. In Roman mythology Larunda or Lara was a water nymph who was overly talkative. She revealed to Juno that her husband Jupiter was having an affair with Juturna, so Jupiter had Larunda's tongue removed. By the god Mercury she had two children, who were Lares.

LAURENf & mEnglishVariant or feminine form of LAURENCE (1). Originally a masculine name, it was first popularized as a feminine name by actress Betty Jean Perske (1924-), who used Lauren Bacall as her stage name.

LAURENCE (1)mEnglishFrom the Roman cognomen Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).... [more]

LAVERNEf & mEnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a French place name, ultimately derived from the Gaulish word vern meaning "alder". It is sometimes associated with the Roman goddess Laverna or the Latin word vernus "of spring".

LAVINIAfRoman Mythology, RomanianMeaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. In Roman legend Lavinia was the daughter of King Latinus, the wife of Aeneas, and the ancestor of the Roman people. According to the legend Aeneas named the town of Lavinium in honour of his wife.

LAWRENCEmEnglishVariant of LAURENCE (1). This spelling of the name is now more common than Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.

LAYLAfArabic, EnglishMeans "night" in Arabic. This was the name of the object of romantic poems written by the 7th-century poet known as Qays. The story of Qays and Layla became a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

LEAHfEnglish, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew name לֵאָה (Le'ah), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word לְאָה (le'ah) meaning "weary". Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian littu meaning "cow". In the Old Testament Leah is the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister Rachel, who he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.... [more]

LEANDERmGreek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name Λεανδρος (Leandros), derived from λεων (leon) meaning "lion" and ανηρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ανδρος). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

LECHmPolish, Slavic MythologyFrom the name of the Slavic tribe the Lendians, called the Lędzianie in Polish. According to Slavic legend this was the name of the founder of the Polish people. A famous bearer was the Polish president Lech Wałęsa (1943-).

LEEm & fEnglishFrom a surname that was derived from Old English leah meaning "clearing". The surname belonged to Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), commander of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In his honour, it has been commonly used as a given name in the American South.

LEGENDmEnglish (Modern)From the English word, referring to a story about the past (or by extension, a heroic character in such a story), ultimately from Latin legere "to read".

LEGOLASmLiteratureMeans "green leaves" in Sindarin, from laeg "green" combined with go-lass "collection of leaves". In 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, Legolas is the son of the elf lord Thranduil and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.

LEHImMormonFrom an Old Testament place name meaning "jawbone" in Hebrew, so called because it was the site where the hero Samson defeated 1,000 warriors using only the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon. It is also used in the Book of Mormon as the name of a prophet.

LEIAfBiblical Greek, Popular CultureForm of LEAH used in the Greek Old Testament. This is the name of a princess in the 'Star Wars' movies by George Lucas, who probably based it on Leah.

LEIFmSwedish, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Old Norse name Leifr meaning "descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.

LEILAfArabic, Persian, English, GeorgianVariant of LAYLA. This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in 'The Giaour' (1813) and 'Don Juan' (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.

LEITHm & fEnglish (Rare)From a surname, originally from the name of a Scottish town (now a district of Edinburgh), which is derived from Gaelic lìte "wet, damp". It is also the name of the river that flows though Edinburgh.

LELANDmEnglishFrom a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant "fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).

LEMMINKÄINENmFinnish MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly related to Finnish lempi "love". In the Finnish epic the 'Kalevala' this is the name of an arrogant hero. After he was killed his mother fetched his body from the River of Death and restored him to life. He is sometimes identified with the god Ahti.

LEMUELmBiblical, Mormon, Biblical HebrewMeans "for God" in Hebrew. This was the name of a king briefly mentioned in Proverbs in the Old Testament. In the Book of Mormon it is the name of a son of Lehi and Sariah. It is also borne by the hero of Jonathan Swift's novel 'Gulliver's Travels' (1726).

LENNONm & fEnglish (Modern)From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Leannáin, which means "descendant of Leannán". The name Leannán means "lover" in Irish. This surname was borne by musician John Lennon (1940-1980), a member of the Beatles.